- On Wednesday, Burger King released a new global ad campaign that shows its signature Whopper burger decomposing and getting moldy.
- The idea was to draw attention to Burger King's move away from preservatives and artificial flavors, which many fast-food chains have long been criticized for using.
- Fernando Machado, the company's global CMO, said the fast-food chain departed from its usual marketing approach to focus on what was a longtime business objective.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Fast-food ads usually try to make you salivate. But Burger King did just the opposite with its latest marketing stunt.
On Wednesday, the fast-food chain released a time-lapse video of its flagship Whopper burger decomposing and getting moldy over 34 days to highlight its move away from preservatives and artificial ingredients.
"We knew that the approach was different, and that some people would think that it's too risky or would hurt us," said Fernando Machado, Burger King's global CMO, told Business Insider. "But people are smarter than that, and the biggest risk for us is to go with an idea that would flat."
'Moldy Whopper' was a long time in the making
The "Moldy Whopper" campaign was a 5-year-long undertaking, Machado said.
The fast-food chain began improving the quality of its food since before Machado joined the company in 2014, he said. Burger King said it removed preservatives from the Whopper in most European markets and will roll out preservative-free Whoppers across the US by the end of 2020 - part of an industry trend toward natural and socially conscious foods.
But it had to wait for the supply chain, cost structure, and training to change, before telling people what it was up to.
"It requires a ton of work to validate that the changes you're introducing will be welcomed by the consumers and that it's feasible," Machado said. "And my job is to find a compelling idea that drives that point home. I have to make people care and make sure that it's an idea that's talked about."
The campaign was led by Burger King's team in Sweden and the product of three ad agencies: Swedish agency Ingo, David Miami, and Publicis.
Burger King is trying to make a statement
Burger King has used its marketing to make fun of its competitors, using augmented reality to set its rivals' ads aflame and hacking geotargeting technology to throw shade at them. But with "Moldy Whopper," it wanted its own business to be the focus, said Machado.
Some may draw comparisons to competitor McDonald's, which has maintained a pristinely preserved and mold-free burger in Iceland on display in Iceland since the last McDonald's restaurant in the country closed in 2009. But Machado dismissed the comparison, saying that the stunt was not a potshot at McDonald's.
"We thought it would be more iconic if we did that instead of making it a comparison," he said. "Hopefully, it is such a bold statement that it'll move the whole industry to a better place."
